In September 2024, the Lakewood Board of Trustees made a conscious effort to attract and retain officers. At a board meeting, Trustee Ben Troche said it was time for trustees to act.

“The demand is high with low supply, so we had to adjust our pay schedules to better fit the local market and attract new officers just like other departments have in this area,” Troche said in 2024.

In 2025, stated in Chief Matthew Bentley’s LBPD’s annual report, the department welcomed full-time officers Charlie Simons, Jacob Swan, and Aleksander Peck as well as part-time officer Brad Gunnell. The hires have helped with public safety.

Bentley took over the department in April 2025, due to the retirement of Chris DePonceau. Bentley said $26,000 awarded to the department through the Chautauqua County District Attorney Discovery Grant was used to make major upgrades to LBPD’s technological infrastructure including the surveillance cameras inside and outside of the department, and upgrades to the monitoring system associated with the cameras and the data storage.

Vehicles belonging to the Lakewood-Busti Police Department, located at 20 W. Summit Ave., in Lakewood. Submitted photo

“We have begun the process of securing the department’s entrances with a new keyless fob system. In 2026 we have secured another District Attorney Discovery Grant in the amount of $31,000. This will help us continue the positive progress we have made in 2025,” Bentley said.

Bentley said the mission of the department is to protect life and property, preserve public order, and enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors through professional, community-oriented policing and partnerships.

There were 11,000 incidents in 2025, an increase of 667 from 2024. September was the busiest month with 1,410 incidents, and January was the least busiest month with 547 incidents. Of the 357 arrests in 2025, March was the busiest month with 53, and the least busiest was October with 13. The to five arrests in the department were No. 1, petit larceny, with 75; No. 2, failure to appear after ticket served, 22, No. 3, failure to appear after summons served, 19, No. 4, acting in a manner injurious to a child under 17, with 14; and No. 5, second-degree harassment, 13.

Incident-based reporting arrests totaled 215 for 2025 with March being the busiest month with 215.

IBR arrests do not include traffic violations, so the arrest number may be lower, Bentley said.

The chief notes that 766 vehicle and traffic tickets were issued and 150 warning tickets were issued in 2025. The top five tickets for LBPD issued in 2025 were No. 1, Speeding in zone with 235; No. 2, speed exceeding 55 mph, 47; No. 3, operation of a motor vehicle by an unlicensed driver, 45, No. 4, operating a motor vehicle without an inspection, 43; and No. 5., operating an unregistered motor vehicle on a highway with 41.

Accidents in 2025 totaled 276 with 230 being property damage, and 46 accidents being personal injury.

“The majority of accidents reported in 2025 resulted in property damage only, accounting for 83.33 percent of all incidents. Accidents involving personal injury represented 16.67 percent of the total. This distribution highlights that while most incidents did not result in injury, a smaller portion involved personal harm and will remain a focus of ongoing safety and prevention efforts,” Bentley said.

Mayor Randy Holcomb praised the report as being thorough.

“The initiatives that he brings to the table, and includes in our local police department, are sure to enhance the department’s future,” Holcomb said.

Holcomb noted that having a fully staffed police department is something that is needed, and has been a long time coming.

“After all, our residents and guests safety is the most important issue,” Holcomb added.

Troche echoed Holcomb’s thoughts.

“Chief Bentley’s annual report depicts the dedication, and hard work of his officers and staff on a daily basis. The department’s commitment to Lakewood and Busti is immense and irreplaceable to the entire community,” Troche said.

PATROL DIVISION

Bentley said the Patrol Division is responsible for providing direct police services to the public. The members of the patrol division are committed to Lakewood’s citizens through protection of life and property; protection of the constitutional guarantees of all people; reduction of opportunities for the commission of crime; resolution to conflict; identification of criminal offenders and criminal activity; apprehension of offenders; and coordination of the efforts of LBPD with other police agencies. The officers in the patrol division represent the front line of the department and in most circumstances have the initial contact with the community.

“Members of the Patrol Division continue to stay vigilant and have a direct relationship with community members to build trust, which assists in the reporting and investigative efforts of these officers,” Bentley added. “These officers are responsible for proactive patrols, responding to calls for service, initial and follow up investigations, traffic and parking enforcement, and community relations.”

Also, part of the patrol division is the K9 officer Swan, and his partner K9 Kor.

“They have just started their journey together in July of this year. Both Swan and Kor will be attending New York State Canine Certification School later in the year. Kor is currently trained in explosives detection. After attendance at this training he will be additionally qualified in tracking and locating people,” Bentley said.

INVESTIGATIVE DIVISION

The investigative division is made up of a detective, and evidence technician. The evidence technician is responsible for coordinating and leading criminal investigations within the department, Bentley said.

Some major cases in the division included the second-degree grand larceny at Tim Hortons, at 277 E. Fairmount Ave., where a store manager allegedly stole $116,439.12 from the store. Bentley said the manager was indicted in December 2025; the Jeffery Hamilton case at multiple locations in Lakewood. Bentley said Hamilton allegedly spray-painted Busti Town Court doors, the Village Department of Public Works building, multiple vehicles in the village parking lot, and an LBPD patrol vehicle. Through surveillance footage, police developed a suspect. In May of 2025, a search warrant was obtained and Hamilton’s vehicle was seized, and a vehicle data extraction was done, Bentley said. The data showed that Hamilton’s cell phone was linked to his vehicle at the time when damages occurred. The vehicle’s track record showed Hamilton driving to the locations where the alleged damage occurred. Bentley added Hamilton is on surveillance video. LBPD took the case to a Chautauqua County Grand Jury and a county court warrant was issued for Hamilton. Hamilton will face charges in county court.

Trustee Ellen Barnes said the report was comprehensive and easy to read.

“Anyone who is interested in knowing what our police department does on a monthly basis can get that information from the report,” Barnes said “It (the report) even highlighted some of the more serious incidents the police department dealt with in 2025.”

Busti Town Supervisor Jesse Robbins said the 2025 Annual LBPD Report is very informative.

“It’s a very nice format. It’s just amazing” Robbins said of the report. “Chief Bentley has a very positive outlook on things.”

Recently, Lakewood trustees looked at a public safety proposal that includes the use of cameras in the village aimed at helping law enforcement officials.

Zac Eagan, representing Flock Safety, said in a Zoom presentation, during the trustees’ workshop meeting, that Flock Safety is the leading public safety national platform. Eagan said Flock’s proprietary technology can be tried out by LBPD before the village commits to purchasing the package.

In a letter to Bentley, Flock CEO Garrett Langley said that Flock’s “unique system integrates hardware and a cloud-based software to enable real-time data processing and secure data sharing capabilities that are unavailable through other providers. What this means potentially for trustees is that there will be cameras at six different locations in the village.

LBPD is located at 20 W. Summit Ave., in Lakewood. To contact LBPD call (716) 763-9563 or email police@lakewoodny.gov.